Charlotte’s Kitchen

Archive for the ‘Bread’ Category

Ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup cooking oil

3 1/3 cup white whole-wheat flour

4 eggs

2 t baking soda

1 1/2 t salt

1 T apple pie spice or

mix of 1 1/2 t Watkins Cinnamon, 3/4 t Watkins Nutmeg and 1/2 t Watkins Ginger

2/3 cup apple cider or water

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

1 medium repe banana, mashed (1/2 cup)

1 6 ounce packaged dried cranberries (optional)

Directions:

Grease bottoms and 1/2 inch up sides of four 7 1/2×3 1/2x 2inch or two 9×5x3 inch loaf pans; set aside. In a very large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed beat sugars and oil. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, soda, salt and pie spice. Alternately add dry mixture and cider to sugar mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat in pumpkin and banana. Stir in cranberries, if using.

Spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes for small pans or 50 to 60 minutes for larger pans or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. If necessary, cover with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

Makes 4 small loaves or 2 large loaes

Tip: Seal cooled bread in an airtight freezer container or plastic freezer bag; freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator or 6 hours at room temperature.

Ingredients:

1 3/4    cups flour

3           T sugar, plus a little extra for topping

1           T Watkins Baking Powder

3/4        t salt

3/4        t Watkins Cinnamon

3/4        t Watkins Ginger

5           T cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1/2        cup light cream, plus a little extra for glaze

1/3        cup solidly packed pumpkin mash or canned pumpkin

1 1/2     T honey

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt cinnamon and ginger. Use your fingertips or a pastry blender to work in the butter. Keep mixing until the ingredients resemble a coarse, flaky meal, then stir in the chopped walnuts. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the cream, pumpkin and honey. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the liquid into it. Stir briskly until the dough pulls together, then let it sit for 3 minutes.

Flour your hands and your work surface. Gently knead the dough into a ball, then pat it into a 1-inch thick disk. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut the dough into rounds and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet, leaving a couple of inches between them. Repeat this process until you’ve used all the dough. Brush the biscuit tops sparingly with cream and then sprinkle on a little sugar.

Bake the biscuits on the center oven rack until they are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Makes about 12 biscuits.

Ingredients:

3 3/4    cups flour, plus more for sprinkling

1           package or 2 1/4 teaspoons instant or bread machine yeast

1           t salt

1/4       cup milk

1/4       cup honey

1/2       cup canned or frozen and thawed pureed pumpkin or squash

1           large egg

1/2       cup warm water

8           fresh sage leaves, slivered (or 1 1/3 teaspoon dried leaves)

1/2        cup (1 stick) butter

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast and salt, and set it aside.

Pour the milk into a microwave-safe bowl or 4-cup glass measuring cup and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Whisk in the honey, squash, egg and water. (The liquid mixture shuld be less than 110 degrees; anything hotter might kill the yeast.)

With a fork, blend the squash mixture into the flour mixture until you have a soft dough. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Two hours before baking turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 6 sage leaves into the dough. Melt the butter and set it aside in a small bowl. Divide the dough in half, then divide each half into 6 portions. Divide each portion into 3 pieces. With floured hands, roll each piece into a ball and dip it into the melted butter. Place 3 balls in a muffin cup. Continue until 12 muffin cups are filled.

Drizzle or bursh each roll with 1/2 teaspoon of the leftover melted butter and then sprinkle them with the rest of the sage. Let the rolls rise in a warm spot (at least 70 degrees) until they’re double in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The 3 balls of dough will rise together to form a cloverleaf shape.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes.

Makes 1 dozen.

Ingredients:

2 1/4        cups whole wheat flour

2 1/4        cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2        cups rolled oats

1                teaspoon baking soda

1                teaspoon salt

1                tablespoon sugar

2 1/2        cups buttermilk

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Combine everything but the buttermilk in a large bowl and stir the ingredients with your hands.  Make a well in the mixture and pour in 1 1/2 cups of the buttermilk.

Continue mixing with your hands, adding the remaining cup of buttermilk as you combine the ingredients.  The resulting dough will be wet and very sticky.

Dust your hands with flour, shape the dough into a ball and place it on a floured cookie sheet (a nonstick baking mat helps).  With a knife, score a deep X in the top of the ball, widening it with the sides of the blade as you cut.

Bake the bread until it’s golden brown, about 50 minutes.  Transfer it to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.  Makes a crusty, dense loaf about 7 inches in diameter.

Ingredients:

2                cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

1                packet active dry yeast

4 1/2        to 5 cups unbleached flour, plus more for kneading

1/3            cup finely ground yellow cornmeal

1                tablespoon table salt

20             or so Kalamata olives, pitted and halved or quartered (optional)

2                tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1                tomato, cored and thinly sliced vertically

1/2            red onion, very thinly sliced

1/2            teaspoon coarse salt

Watkins Pepper to taste

Leaves from 5 to 6 small springs of rosemary

1/4            cup shaved fresh Parmesan

Directions:

Measure the water into a large mixing bowl.  Sprinkle the yeast over the water and stir it with a wooden spoon.  Let the mixture stand until the yeast dissolves and small bubbles form, atout 5 to 7 minutes.

Add 4 cups of the flour, the cornmeal and the table salt and stir the mixture until the ingredients are uniformly combined.  Stir in the olives,  if you’re using them.  Add another 1/2 to 1 cup of flour and knead the dough in the bowl until it holds together.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it until smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes.  Shape the dough into a ball.

Measure 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into a large bowl.  Add the dough, then turn it to coat all sides.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm area un/il it has doubled, generally 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Heat the oven to 475 degrees.  Coat a rimmed baking sheet (17 by 12 inches) with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.  Punch down the dough and transfer it to the prepared sheet, using your fingertips to press it out to fit the pan.  Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over the dough.  Again, let the dough rise in a warm area, uncovered this time, until it’s puffy, about 30 minutes.

Press your fingretips into the dough to form small indentations across the entire surface.  Then top it with the sliced tomatoes and red onion, and season it with the coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.  Distribute the rosemary leaves across the surface, lightly pressing  them into the dough.

Bake the bread until it’s brown and crust, 20 to 2 minutes, then top it with Parmesan.  Enjoy it warm or at room temperature.  Serves 8 to 10.

Ingredients:

2        cups flour

1/3    cup sugar

1        tablespoon Watkins Baking Powder

1/2    teaspoon salt

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

3        tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1        cup heavy or whipping cream, plus a little for brushing

1        egg yolk, beaten slightly

1/2     teaspoon Watkins Vanilla

Lemon Glaze:

1        cup confectioners’ sugar

1        tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2    teaspoon Watkins Lemon Extract

1        tablespoon melted butter

2        tablespoons heavy or whipping cream

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a large, heavy baking sheet (preferably not a dark one) and set it aside.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.  Add the lemon zest and toss the mixture with your hands.

Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Pour in the cream, the yolk and the vanilla and use a fork to blend the liquids within the well.  Then use a wooden spoon to combine all the ingredients, just until the dough holds together.

Scrape the dough onto a flour-dusted surface and then, using floured hands, knead it gently three or four times to form a ball.  Flatten the ball into a disk about 3/4-inch thick, then cut it as you would a pie into 8 wedges.  Transfer the pieces to the baking sheet, leaving at least 1/4 inch between them.  Brush the tops lightly with cream.

Bake the scones in the center of the oven until golden brown, about 16 to 18 minutes.  Allow them to cool on the sheet for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack.

While the scones continue to cool, make the glaze.  Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk them until the mixture is smooth.  If necessary, you can thin the glaze with water, stirring in no more than 1/2 teaspoon at a time.  When the scones have cooled for another 10 minutes, drizzle each one generously with glaze.  Makes 8 ascones.